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By coincidence, an advertisement appeared in the Liverpool Echo on August 8, reading "Drummer - Young - Free". The identity of the musician offering his services remains a mystery.

In the newly-discovered letter, dated August 12, McCartney, then 18, wrote: "Dear Sir, In reply to your advertisement [sic] in Echo, Wed. night, we would like to offer you an audition for the position of drummer in the group.

"You will, however, need to be free soon for a trip to Hamburg (expenses paid £18 per week (approx.) for 2 months.) If interested, ring Jacaranda club, Slater St. [ROYAL 65'44] and ask for either a member of the 'BEATLES' Alan Williams [sic], or else leave a message, stating when you will be available. Yours sincerely Paul McCartney Of THE BEATLES."

It is not known if an audition ever took place, or if the band simply ran out of time. What is known is that in the days after the letter was sent, the band auditioned Pete Best, a drummer who they had played with previously, for the vacant position. On August 15, the five, including Best, travelled to Hamburg.

The handwritten letter, which was discovered this year at the sale in Bootle, Liverpool, is expected to fetch up to £9,000 at auction next month.

It is believed to be one of the earliest examples of the band calling themselves The Beatles – they had previously been known as The Quarrymen.

Christie's, which is selling the letter, claims that it also sheds new light on the early history of the band.

The original members had seen Best play at the Casbah Club, the cafe in the cellar of the house owned by Best's mother. It was widely believed that Best was the only drummer they considered to take to Hamburg.

But the newly discovered letter suggests that they were still unsure of Best, and desperately searching for an alternative drummer just days before their departure for Germany. In 1962, as the band began to taste success, Best was fired and replaced by Ringo Starr.

Neil Roberts, the director of popular culture at Christie's, said: "It is exceptionally rare and hugely exciting to discover genuinely new material related to The Beatles that provides us with previously unknown facts about the band.

"My initial reaction was one of disbelief, but on seeing the item and being able to research the significance of the date and its content and conferring with renowned Beatles historians, it has turned out to be much more significant than mere words on paper."

The letter is expected to fetch up to £9,000 when it is auctioned November 15. The seller wishes to remain anonymous.